


Star Girl

by flouridation



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Aliens, F/M, UNTIL CHAPTER 2, ben is an astronomy nerd who spots her spacecraft through his telescope, insp by the song Star Girl by McFly, it's a big one, it's cute please read it, rey is an alien manning a flying saucer on a quest to obtain a rare earthen device, she also has a Secret, there is a gun, what is it? gasp we never know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23321077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flouridation/pseuds/flouridation
Summary: When Ben Solo was nine years old, his mother got him a book about astronomy. Soon he couldn’t be found without it. He found the unknown and infinite expanse around him to be absolutely the most beautiful thing he had ever come to know. His father helped him build a simple telescope out of junkyard scraps, just like Galileo. He peered through it every clear night at the distant suns, wondering endlessly about the multitudes of worlds that may exist around them. Then, when Ben was fourteen, one of those worlds collided with his.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 18
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> <3

When Ben Solo was nine years old, his mother got him a book about astronomy. Soon he couldn’t be found without it. He found the unknown and infinite expanse around him to be absolutely the most beautiful thing he had ever come to know. His father helped him build a simple telescope out of junkyard scraps, just like Galileo. He peered through it every clear night at the distant suns, wondering endlessly about the multitudes of worlds that may exist around them. Then, when Ben was fourteen, one of those worlds collided with his. 

It was during the Perseid meteor shower, a hot night in August in the beautiful black sky over their rural patch of land. Ben sat in a deck chair on the porch with his tiny tripod telescope set up before him, watching the celestial show. They fell like raindrops, but incandescent and enormous. Too enormous. Holy cow, was that one coming straight at their house? 

Ben jumped to attention and focused his lens, trying to get a better look just in case it was the last thing he would ever see. It was moving fast, but he was able to track it. It didn’t look like the other meteors. For one thing, it wasn’t on fire—whatever it was, it wasn’t being burned up by the atmosphere. Which meant it was entering it on purpose, not sucked in by mere gravity. His heart jumped into his throat at the only explanation, the—impossible, surely, but _so_ _exciting!_ —explanation, the one that turned out a few minutes later to be true. 

The unidentified flying object simmered down through the stratosphere, blazing with a radiant blue light. Then it vanished, settling down amidst a patch of trees. Ben leapt to his feet and grabbed his lantern, abandoning his notes on the Perseids and sprinting off across their lawn and into the far-off expanses of the field. He reached the trees in minutes, panting and beaming, telling himself that he was being ridiculous and that surely it couldn’t possibly be what he thought it was. But he had to check. Could he ever live with himself if he didn’t? 

He was as quiet as a vole as he snuck amongst the trees, switching off his lantern and letting his eyes adjust to the darkness so that they could guide him truly to the light he sought.  _ There! _ He saw it.  _ Holy cow, _ he thought again, with a silent gasp. Ben tiptoed toward the light and soon found himself at the edge of a clearing, and there. It. Was. A flying saucer. With blue headlights and everything. He held his breath. Then the bottom of the unfathomable machine opened, revealing a smooth exit ramp, and out she came. And suddenly the endless universe was chopped liver. 

She was humanoid, and about his age and height, if he judged correctly from a distance and the perspective of another species. She wore a simple grey tunic. Her skin was glowing. Not brightly, but indisputably. She was slender and muscular and, as she turned her profile towards him, Ben saw that she had a face much like his, with eyes and a nose and a mouth and everything. She also had two long antennae that curled over about a foot above her head. Her hair was tied back in a style he had never seen before and would never have imagined any girl from earth wearing: dark sheets tied behind her head in three knots (or perhaps they were buns; Ben had never really understood the difference), squarely above and between her neck and shoulder blades. Oh, and she had wings. Beautiful blue transparent wings, just like a butterfly’s, with glowing veins and a spotted pattern bedazzling him. At the sight of her Ben let out an involuntary sigh, his breath tangled up somewhere in his throat with his heart. The noise caused the beautiful girl to turn towards him, and her eyes widened in fear. Her wings quivered and she gripped the long stick she had strapped to her belt, presumably her weapon. Ben was suddenly terrified, terrified that she might leave and he would never get the chance to learn her name. Like, if she had one. 

“No, no, no,” he said softly, stepping into the clearing and raising his hands, hoping that her people understood this as a gesture of trust. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” He couldn’t help but stare as her grip loosened on the stick and she bit her lip, apparently not sure what to make of him. “I don’t have any weapons. I don’t want to hurt you.” He was stammering slightly and barely speaking above a whisper. “Y-you are... the most beautiful being I have ever seen.” He swallowed, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. “I’m so sorry. Uh. Yikes. Nice going, Ben, that’s a real swell way to introduce yourself. Sorry.” He took a deep breath and suddenly felt calm. He noticed that the girl had flicked her wings and something like soft blue spores floated out from between them, swirling around in the air and then settling in Ben’s hair. The contact made his face flush even further. But an aura of calm had settled, and he was able to string a few words together when he spoke again. “Can you understand a word I’m saying?” For all he knew, she couldn’t hear at all. Her species might very well communicate in flashes of light, or dance around like bees, or emit sonar. But she surprised him with a smile, and—was that her way of suppressing laughter? 

“Yes, every word. And thank you.” She had a peculiar accent, and her voice was like piano music. She stepped closer to him, tilting her head to the side. “I’ve never seen anything like you before.” 

“Well, me neither.” He suddenly remembered his manners. “I was wondering, what is your name?” 

“Name?” She looked puzzled.  _ Ah, so maybe her kind doesn’t have them.  _

“What do people call you?” 

“Oh.” She thought for a moment. Then she said, “They don’t.” 

“Beg pardon?” 

“I don’t really know anybody who talks.”    
  


“Oh.” Ben was stumped. Then he said, “Would you like a name?” 

She pondered. “What’s it good for?” 

“Friends can use it to address you.” 

“Oh. Sure then.” 

“What would you like me to call you?” 

A pause, during which the girl looked at the beams cast by her extraterrestrial vehicle’s headlights onto the ground. Ben followed her gaze and was struck with an idea. “How about ‘Ray’? Like one from the sun.” 

“The sun?” 

“The closest star to me.” 

“Oh. I like that star. That sounds good.” 

“Alright. But we’ll spell it with an ‘e,’ like in ‘re,’ because your voice sounds like music.” He felt proud of himself for thinking of that, even though he saw from her expression that she hadn’t the faintest idea what he was talking about. Even so, she looked pleased. 

“I like it. Rey. That’s my name. What’s yours?” 

“Ben.” 

“That’s a pretty name.” 

“Thank you.” He felt butterflies swirling around in his chest where his heart sometimes lay. 

“You’re a pretty being.” Rey sat down on a nearby log and her wings folded behind her. 

Hesitantly but full of excitement, Ben sat down next to her. “Thank you.” Silence, during which they stared openly into each other’s faces. “So, what brings you to Earth?” 

“Is that here?” She asked, gesturing around. 

“Yes, that’s what we call it.” 

“Cute. I’m only here to pick up a—what would you call it? Something to read things when it’s dark out, without hurting my eyes with the blue light. A smaller light. For looking at smaller things. I need one.” 

Ben’s mind sparked. “Oh! I can help. Look at this.” He switched on his lantern, and Rey’s face lit up. 

“Like that!” She beamed, touching it lightly with a single finger. “Just like that. What is its name?” 

“A lantern.” 

“Alantern.” She said it with wonder, sitting back. “Pretty. Earth is pretty. I like it here. Pretty place with pretty people and alanterns.” He smiled, unable to bear the thought of correcting her grammar. 

“You can have this one,” Ben said eagerly, switching it off and holding it out to her. “I don’t mind.” 

“Don’t you need it?” 

“No.” Surely he could find his way back home  _ somehow _ . “Take it.” 

“Thank you,” she said, beaming at him and accepting it into her arms. “Ben.” Rey said it with such warmth, and he felt instantly fulfilled and at peace. Then something else happened. Her gaze flickered, and she leaned in close to him. Without even realizing what he was doing, he reciprocated, his lips parting as if he was about to speak. But he didn’t speak. He couldn’t. Because she kissed him. 

And he smiled for weeks. Even after Rey had stood up with a brush of her hand over his and climbed back into her starship, still looking at him with the utmost fondness as the ramp door closed before her. Even after she’d taken off with a silent breeze that ruffled Ben’s hair and sent shivers down his skin. Even after he’d staggered home that night in the dark and changed into his pajamas and fallen asleep. He smiled. 

Ben never told a soul what had happened to him that night. Even if anyone would have believed him, it felt too special to share. With anyone. Anyone but himself and Rey.  _ Rey. _ He thought of her often. She liked Earth, after all. And she liked him. And that meant she might come back. So he sat vigil on the porch every night he could. Always looking up. And when his parents or friends asked, as often they did,  _ why do you stay up so late staring at the stars? _ Ben simply said in response, “I love them.”  _ For bringing her to me. _ And he watched them every night, hoping forever that his starry girl would come back to him. 

And come back she would. 


	2. Chapter 2

When Ben Solo was fifteen, he enrolled in an advanced placement high school science program. They had a unit on astronomy, and suddenly he was the lord of the nerds; everybody he knew thought he was the cutest boy in school. He kept to himself, though. He enjoyed the company of people, but he knew he wasn’t quite like the rest of them. He didn’t fit in, nor did he feel the need to try. That only added to his mystique and appeal. 

His classmates from science would sometimes talk about what they were learning at the lunch table, the geekiest way one can possibly study. It never failed to amuse him, though he didn’t ever express such. They often invited him to sit with them, and sometimes he did, though he never fully closed his textbooks. Once in awhile they’d talk about astronomy and he’d chime in with a rare smile, which only cemented his romantic appeal in their eyes. But no one could get close to him; he was elusive and always seemed preoccupied. Which, well, he was. 

One time his fellow nerds got lost on a tangent, and one of them suddenly said, “Do you guys believe in aliens?” 

“Nah,” one of them said, sipping from a mini carton of almond milk. 

“Absolutely,” said another. “It’s a big universe. There’s gotta be something else alive out there.” 

“I’m not sure,” said a third. “I don’t know what to think about it.” 

Practically in unison, they turned their heads to Ben, and he suddenly realized that the whole thing had been a scheme to get him to talk. “What about you, Ben?” said the one who had spoken first of all. “Do you believe in aliens?”  _ Uh-oh. _ He smiled and looked askance, biding himself time. Ben Solo didn’t lie. But he also didn’t kiss and tell! What was he supposed to do? Finally he said, with careful delivery, “I hope they believe in me.” The table exchanged looks and awkward ejaculations of laughter. 

“That’s cute,” said somebody. 

“So cute. I’m using that.” 

“You’re welcome.” He pushed his chair back and collected his books. “See you in Study Hall.” And he left. 

For that whole year and summer he had a decent time at school and at home. He lived a pretty happy life. But he couldn’t help but miss his peculiar encounter, nor could he help praying for another one almost every night. But she didn’t come. The whole year passed and she didn’t come. He felt like he started out as an empty bucket, and every night that passed without her with him, a little drop of sadness fell in with a clink. Soon they stopped clinking and instead began to splash. It had been so long since he’d seen the starry girl that he was starting to think he’d dreamed the whole thing. The bucket grew heavy and he thought often of abandoning it, forgetting the whole thing and pretending that it never happened. But he couldn’t. Because, one August night, in the midst of the Perseids again, he saw her craft in the sky. And the bucket tumbled over with a clatter, splashing all over the floor.  _ Rey!  _

He was already there to meet her when she finished parking her craft below the trees. He shouted her name and waved at the headlights, and in a moment the underside door opened and she came rushing out to greet him. She tackled him in a hug and pressed a kiss into his cheek, holding him so tight they hovered above the ground together, suspended by her glowing green wings. “Ben!” Her voice bore such joy as she let his body go and took his hands instead. She surveyed him eagerly. “You’re so tall!” 

It was true. He’d grown four inches in the year since she’d seen him last. “Well, you’re green now!” 

“I am!” She spread her wings, clear as crystal glassware. Glowing crystal glassware. “Do you like it? I didn’t pay attention, but sometime a little while ago it changed.” 

“It’s beautiful.” He suddenly noticed her antennae had elongated and her hairstyle had changed, now only half-up with the rest sweeping at her shoulders. Lightly, tenderly, avoiding the presumably sensitive glands at her neck, he took the tips between his fingers and smiled. It was soft and smelled like happiness. Maybe that’s what stardust was. “I missed you.” 

“I missed you, too.” She flapped her wings, just enough to hover for a moment, and cradled his face in her hands. Then she kissed him again. And everything was right in the world. Her lift gave out and she broke away as she sank to the earth, but her hands kept cradling his face. “I missed that smile.” 

_ Only you can inspire it _ , he thought. Out loud he said again, “I missed you.” 

“I’m sorry I was away for so long. I wanted to keep in touch.” They sat down again, on the very same log as last time. 

“Why didn’t you?” His voice was soft. Pleading. 

“It’s complicated.” She looked away. 

“Everyone says I’m smart. Tell me about it.” He put a hand on her shoulder. 

She sighed. “I’ve been… Hiding.” 

“From what?” 

“Some people want me to do something, and I don’t want to do it.” 

“Why not?” 

“It’s complicated. It would take too long to tell the whole thing.” 

“Don’t we have time?” Ben looked up at the sky, still a thick dark blanket fort enveloping them on all sides. They were safe here. 

“Well. I suppose I can stay until dawn.” She looked back at him and bit her lip. “But not any longer than that. I don’t want to put you in danger.” 

“Danger? What’s dangerous?” 

“My grandfather.” 

“You have a family?” Ben was genuinely surprised. In all his thinking and wondering about the starry girl, the question of how she came to exist hadn’t even entered his mind. He must have just assumed she sprang forth from some glorious sun somewhere and had flitted everywhere in a flying saucer ever since. 

“He shouldn’t count. He… He killed my mother.” 

Ben’s eyes widened. “Why?” 

“It’s complicated.” 

“You don’t have to say that every time.” 

She reached for his hand beside her and squeezed it. “Alright.” She took a deep breath. “I’m kind of… what I think your people call… a princess.” 

“What?” He heard his mother’s voice in his head chiding him. “I mean, beg pardon?” 

“I come from a planet about 50 light years from here. At the center of that thing.” Rey pointed up at the soft band of the Milky Way.” He followed her finger, then looked back at her face. She continued. “At home, there was a family who determined the rules to which the other people must adhere. This family watched over the others, settled disputes, and recorded everything important that happened for posterity. I was part of that family.” She looked at Ben expectantly, but he must have looked blank, because after a moment she elaborated. “My mother was the queen. My grandfather was her advisor. The oldest woman in each generation has the power, unless she dies and has no female successor. Then the oldest man in the family takes over. 

“My grandfather was always hungry for power. When I was a young girl he killed my mother and made an attempt on my life as well. I escaped and hid, and then saw him take over the duties of the monarch. Because he was then the one who made the rules and settled all disputes, no one could challenge him even though there were witnesses to the murder. The people were all terrified. I imagine they still are. 

“I awayed on that travel craft and have spent my whole life since that day in hiding on different planets, never for more than a night on each one. And I never make a repeat visit. Never.” Rey looked at him seriously, still holding his hand, and Ben felt his stomach twist itself into knots. 

“But you came back here.” He felt a horrifying mixture of fear and elation. She came back! For  _ him _ . She never came back to anywhere. Because she was in hiding. From a murderous family member who was probably still looking for her, and may well now know that she had a favorite planet and might be found there again. 

“I know.” She swallowed, and her great green wings shivered. “I just couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing you again.” 

Ben inhaled, trying to think of something to say. But there was nothing. Nothing he could say would ever be able to accurately express the maelstrom he was feeling. So he simply embraced her. He held her tight and felt tears pooling in his eyes. She clung to him, and her wings folded in front of her around them both. It was all so beautiful, and so sad. Mostly sad. And scary. And hard. It was hard to even know this about her, to hold a little of her burden in his hands. He couldn’t even imagine what she felt. So he just hugged her. For a long, long time. 

Then the sky changed from black to indigo, and from indigo to dark purple, and Rey snapped away from him in alarm. “I have to leave. I’m sorry.” She got to her feet and wiped at her eyes with her hands. “I’m so sorry.” 

He couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving again. He knew she had to, but he couldn’t bear it. Not yet. “Can’t you stay a few more minutes? Just to watch the sun rise?” 

Rey shook her head, still teary-eyed. “I can’t. I just can’t. They’ll find me if I ever see the light of day.” 

He stared at her, crestfallen. But he nodded. “I understand.”  _ Just one more thing before you go. _ He leaned in close, held her by her waist, and kissed her. He had to do it. This might be the last time. 

When he finally pulled away Rey was crying again. She pressed another kiss into her fingers and brushed them against Ben’s cheek, then took off running into her spaceship. In a few minutes she was gone, beyond the atmosphere, leaving Ben to watch the empty sky turn rosy on his own. Never in his life had he felt so lonely. 


	3. Chapter 3

He knew now that she never would come back. She couldn’t! There was nothing to be done. They had had their starry, star-crossed love already in those two nights, and now it was over. She’d done what she wanted to do; she’d seen him once and once again, and that would be it. That would be  _ it. _ So he didn’t need to keep looking through that telescope, staring hard at every stray meteor, hoping one of them would have headlights. He didn’t do it every night anymore; after all, a pattern had established. She only came during the Perseids, or at least only under the cover of a heavy meteor shower. If she ever came again, which of course she wouldn’t, she would come then. So those were the only nights he watched. But even though he knew she wasn’t coming, he still watched. 

Ben Solo graduated high school early, at only sixteen. His parents and he both agreed that he wasn’t emotionally or financially ready for college, so he stayed at home and worked as the neighbor’s stablehand. He did that for three years and he was happy enough. But he was also, on a deeply submerged subconscious level, direly lonely. He missed Rey. He wondered if she missed him. Did he hope she did? Did he hope she felt as lost and lonely without him as he felt without her? Would he wish that on her? His diary stared back blankly when he asked those questions, unhelpful. He continued about his life. 

Until the Perseids came again. Ben didn’t get his hopes up. At least, he tried not to. It had been three years straight of all Perseids and no flying saucers for him. Why should this year be any different?  _ And yet, _ he wrote in his pretentious loopy cursive,  _ I have this insurmountable feeling of anticipation.  _

Ben sat out on the porch that night, tracking the stray streaks of light through his telescope. He took notes on each of them, doodling a little ‘X’ after each one. He mostly did it out of habit now. He found himself almost bored, almost tired of this hobby that had been so precious to him for so many years. He was even getting sleepy. 

Then it happened. A streak. Just a little bit bigger and brighter than the other ones. He saw the streak and tracked it, focused his lens, and laughed out loud in euphoric shock. He scribbled a quick five-pointed star in his diary and then shoved it into his pocket and ran for all he was worth. He scrambled through the wood into the clearing, where she had already finished parking and was standing in the white glow of the headlights waiting for him. “Rey!” He threw his arms around her in a bear hug and buried his face in her hair. She still smelled like happiness. Her arms encircled his waist and her body shook, and Ben realized she was crying. 

“I tried not to come back. I swore I wouldn’t. But I kept thinking of you and what I told you and how you held me and how I ran. And I couldn’t leave it like that. I’m tired of running.” She pushed away and held him in front of her so she could look at his face. “I’m going to face him. I’m going to assume my place as the monarch and get my tyrannical grandfather out of power. I’m going to be the queen.” 

Ben was suddenly terrified. “But what if he kills you? Can’t he just get away with it?” 

“Not twice. And if I have to, I’ll kill him first. He can’t abuse my people any longer. I won’t let him get away with it.” 

Ben felt a hard lump in his throat. “So you came back to say goodbye?” 

She shook her head and fidgeted. “No. Not ‘goodbye.’” 

“What, then?” 

“‘Will you marry me.’” 

“B-beg pardon?” He yelped. 

“I’m asking if you want to join my family. I’m asking if you want to be a prince. If you’ll help me defeat him. And if you love me as much as I have loved you all these years.” 

Ben couldn’t breathe. He honestly thought he might pass out. He must have looked pretty wobbly, because she swung her wings around him and scattered the calming dust over him. They were white now, he noticed. She looked good in every color. The dust settled his stomach and permitted him to speak. “Stay with me. Live with me on Earth. I’ll keep you safe. If your grandfather comes looking for you I’ll kill him with my bare hands.” 

Rey shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t put you in danger, and I can’t run from my responsibilities anymore.” 

“Why not?” He groaned, squeezing her hands. Then he sighed. “I know why. Responsibilities. Duties. Honoring your mother. Moral goodness. I understand.” 

“This is bigger than me.” She brushed the hair out of his eyes and rested a hand on his cheek. He leaned into it, soothed by the feeling of her cool flesh on his hot face. “And you didn’t answer my question.” 

He kissed her. “The answer is yes. You didn’t even have to ask. I’ve thought of you every day since we first met. I’ve loved you for years, and I’d do anything to be with you for more than one night at a time. I’d leave everything behind.” 

“Do you have family?” She asked, looking around as if they might suddenly pop out of the trees. 

“Yes.” 

“Good family?” 

“Yes.” 

“I’d ensure that you could see them often. As often as travel time permits. You don’t have to leave anything behind.” 

“Then I really do have nothing keeping me. I would love to be your prince.” 

Rey beamed and kissed him. That was still his favorite feeling in the world. When she broke away she said, “Come on. Let’s get in my ship and watch the sun rise.” She led him up the ramp by his hand and directed him to the cockpit. There were windows all around them from which Ben could see the waxing gibbous moon, the tops of the trees, and the fading stars all around. The sky turned grey, then purple, then pinkish, and then golden light crept over the horizon. He was suddenly aware of Rey holding her breath. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” she said with the softest of sighs. “Nothing at all. It’s been eons since I’ve seen a sunrise, that’s all.” 

He watched her as the sun crept in through the windows and spilled over her skin. Her wings started to glow, changing from transparent grey to the most radiant, white-hot golden halo that seemed almost brighter and more real than the nearest star. He saw for the first time that her skin was rosy. She looked stronger than she ever had before, and braver. Like she could take on infinite worlds. “It suits you. The light of day.” 

“You named me for it. I remember.” All this time she had been holding his hand. 

“I picked a good name.” They sat for a little while in silence. Then he said, “Thank you.” 

“For?” She was puzzled. 

“Everything, I guess.”  _ Mostly this _ , he thought, squeezing her hand. 

“Well. You’re welcome.” And soon the sky turned blue. 


	4. Chapter 4

Her tiny ship had two seats at the front, and Rey remarked how nice it was to have somebody filling one of them for a change. Ben watched fondly as she maneuvered the ship with expert hands and guided them over the waking world, bouncing over the sunshine like waves. She was shaking slightly and he wished he had some sort of calming dust to secrete for her. But he could barely keep himself calm. The full scope of what he’d agreed to and what they were doing hit him. For one thing, he was in a flying saucer speeding far, far away from the only planet he had ever known. His parents would be missing him at breakfast. His boss would be missing him at work. He hadn’t slept at all. And he was wearing yesterday’s comfy at-home cargo pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt and the house-slippers he wore when he was taking out the garbage and that was  _ it _ . That was all he had taken with him. His anxieties worsened as the blue of the sky turned into the consuming blackness of space. But then he looked back at the Earth, that giant blue marble where he grew up. And somehow that made everything scarier and safer at the same time. 

“It is beautiful,” Rey said, following his gaze. “I love your home planet, both on the ground and from a distance.” 

“I love it too.” 

She could sense the unease in his voice. “It’s not too late to turn back. I won’t hold it against you. You don’t have to come with me just because I asked.” 

Ben shook his head firmly. “Just because I’m anxious about leaving home doesn’t mean I want to go back. I’m all in. I’m with you. Ride or die.” 

“Beg pardon?” 

“‘No matter what.’ I’m going to be by your side no matter what happens.” He meant it. And she knew that. Golden tears welled up in her eyes and she blinked them away with her third eyelids, keeping her eyes open to see where she was going as she guided them true into the unknown. 

“Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” He looked around the interior of the craft, shadowy and grim now that they had left the sun’s sphere of influence. “It’s dark in here.” 

“Oh. So it is. You must be used to more light. Hold on.” She clicked a button and the ship propelled itself on its own while she rummaged beneath the dash. A few seconds later she retrieved some object and set it down on the dash between them. Ben heard a tiny click, and then his old lantern from when he was fourteen flickered on and illuminated them. He laughed out loud. 

“You still have it.” 

“I need it. When I’m not driving. To read maps and books.” 

“You read books?” 

“Lots of people do.” 

“I know that, I just meant, how do you understand them?” 

“I have… something in my eye. A processor. That translates text. I can take it in and out.” She demonstrated, her eyes watering as she removed something like a colored contact lens and held it out on her finger for him to see. 

“Interesting,” he said, looking away a bit squeamishly as she stuck it back in. Another question occurred to him. “So is it the same for hearing other languages? I assume the people on your planet don’t speak English.” 

“I don’t know what ‘English’ is,” she confirmed. “I have a translator thing for that too, but **_μπορεί να ακούγεται λίγο παράξενο χωρίς το στόμα μου._** ” Ben jumped as Rey’s voice disintegrated into gibberish. She slipped a tiny device out from behind one antenna and held it out in her hand. “ ** _Βλέπεις?_** ” He looked back, blank and a little bit frightened. She put it back. “Sorry,” she said, intelligible once more. “I was saying ‘Do you see?’” 

“Oh. Yes. That’s very interesting.” He wanted to ask a lot of questions about how it worked, but Rey was focused on the navigation controls and he was soon distracted by the celestial sights around him. He decided to honor that nine-year-old with that astronomy book and allow himself to stare. After all, he never thought he’d actually be out here. 

Rey navigated space and wormholes like only a born-and-raised Bostonian could navigate Boston. She had her feet up on the dash and reclined with the driving and steering mechanisms in her hands like she was playing a video game. Her hair was now long enough that the portions of it which were not tied back could tumble past her shoulders. She was beautifully, completely at home behind the navigation controls. She knew what she was doing. They traveled 50 light years in what felt like hours. Ben was pretty sure that was impossible. But so was falling in love with an alien. 

They chatted for a few hours now about the things Ben had been up to in the time since they had seen each other last, and Rey told stories of her childhood. The time flew by, no pun intended. But then Rey fell silent, staring rigidly ahead. Ben tried to follow her gaze, but couldn’t make anything out except for distant stars. “What is it?” 

“We’re here.” Her voice was a whisper. 

“I don’t see anything.” 

“Turn off the alantern.” 

He did. And then it almost jumped out at him, a massive planet with a great golden aurora that had been completely hidden by the glow of the dash lamp. “That’s where you were born?” 

“That general direction.” She nodded. Her knuckles were white around the navigation controls. 

“Sure you want to do this? You can still turn back.” Ben was more concerned than ever; her eyes were wide and her wings were twitching. She looked absolutely terrified. But she shook her head. 

“Just because I’m anxious about going home doesn’t mean I won’t go back.” 

He smiled. “Alright, then. I’m with you.” 

“Right ore dye,” she smiled. He nodded, deadpan. 

“Right ore dye.” 

As one, they took a deep breath. Then Rey sat up straight, set her jaw, and pressed a button. They jetted straight at the planet so fast Ben thought they would be incinerated. 


	5. Chapter 5

Ben stopped her before she exited the spacecraft. “Wait. What’s our plan if things get violent? What weapons do you have?” 

Rey pondered for a long moment, then picked up her stick. “This.” Ben was suddenly anxious. 

“That’s it?” 

“We don’t fight. Nobody gets killed. And I’m not trying to kill him today.” 

“But he might try to kill you,” Ben pressed, taking the stick and whacking his own arm with it experimentally. It was pretty hard, but he had a bad feeling. It wasn’t even as dense as a baseball bat. “This isn’t enough for self-defense.” He turned it over in his hands, thinking hard. Then something caught his eye. “Is this thing hollow?” Rey nodded. He peered into the barrel, knocked on it, and suddenly had an idea. “Do you mind if I make some modifications?” 

“You may help. I would appreciate it.” 

“Okay.” He thought for another minute. “Do you have anything that will ignite if you heat it up?” 

She shrugged. “Rocket fuel?” 

“That might work. Do you have a way to heat it up?” 

Rey secreted some of the calming dust and held it out in her hand to him. “It gets hot if you crush it.” She demonstrated, curling her hand into a fist and sending sparks scattering through the spacecraft. Ben flinched and shielded his eyes, then a wild grin spread across his face. 

“That’s perfect.” He clasped his hands and started looking around for something that could be used as ammunition. 

“Perfect for what?” 

“I’m going to make you a weapon. It’s called a gun.” 

“Agun? What’s it good for?” 

“You’ll see. Can I use this?” He picked up a bucket of what appeared to be screws. She nodded and stepped back as he got down on the floor and started examining the stick, and was awestruck as he realized it had almost identical anatomy to his father’s rifle. He’d always paid special attention in science class, and now it was coming in useful. He loaded a couple of the screws into one of the chambers. “Rocket fuel, please.” Rey pulled some sort of container with a nozzle on it out of a panel in the floor. He poured it in behind the ammunition. “Open the door, please.” She did. He dropped down out of the shuttle onto the soft sparkling grass below. She alighted next to him and he handed her the stick. “Now take your stardust and slap it really hard against this part. Careful!” BANG! He had just managed to steady the barrel as the kickback sent Rey sprawling backwards on her butt. She looked shell-shocked and was covering her ears. They both looked at where the gun had gone off; it had left a hot scorch of embers in a rut that went for several feet through the grass. They turned to each other. “What do you think?” 

She removed her hands from over her ears. “What?” 

“Do you like it?” 

“It’s loud!” 

“I know. Do you like it?” 

“It’s terrifying!” 

“I know. Do you like it?” He wanted her to be able to defend herself, but if this was the equivalent of a weapon of mass destruction for her, he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. She was turning it over in her hands now, staring at the chambers and summoning more dust into her hand. She stood again, braced one foot behind her, and fired in the same direction, this time remaining upright and whooping as the hot piece of metal shot right through the earth. 

“I love it!” She raised it above her head and twirled it like a baton. Ben ducked. 

“Be careful!” 

She lowered it and strapped it to her belt again. “Thank you! He’s going to be so frightened.” She kissed his cheek. “Let’s go!” 

He laughed and took her hand as she raced off over the featherlike swathes of sparkling grass. They passed peculiar flora and fauna beyond Ben’s wildest imaginations, yet somehow familiar enough to be comforting. Maybe he was feeling what Rey felt as she returned to her ancestral home. 

They ran for a long while and ascended a hill. Then they stopped. “We’re here.” Ben felt a pinch of dread. She had kept her jaw set the whole journey up to her ancestral home, a small cabin on a hill that didn’t seem to Ben to be particularly grand or royal. It was daytime on this planet and Rey was glowing with the power of her original sun. Her wings were so shining bright they actually hurt Ben’s eyes. Rey knocked at the door. Someone else opened it. “Grandfather,” she said as he made himself known. 

Okay. Meeting your girlfriend’s family is frightening enough. Meeting a murderous man with massive moth-like multiple-meter-long wings who dares to call your girlfriend his granddaughter is a whole new level of terrifying. 

“You.” Rey had given Ben her audio-translating device so that he could understand her familial confrontation. It worked a little too well, so well that Ben could feel his blood run cold with all the malice on the vile man’s tongue. “So. You have finally lost the will to live.” 

“Quite the contrary, sir.” Rey’s eyes were fierce and she leapt off the ground and hovered just a foot or so above the man’s head. “I did not come here to die.” 

“But you will.” He raised a staff just like the one Rey had at her side and aimed for her neck. Rey blocked his attack. 

“I am here to bring justice and peace to my home. I cannot do that with you in power. Step down,” she said, holding her staff menacingly underneath his jaw. “Or I will knock you over.” 

“Who’s this jabroni?” Her grandfather suddenly asked, looking past Rey and directly at Ben. He almost wanted to burst into laughter at the bizarre specificity of the translation and wondered instantly what in the universe the Reyish word for “jabroni” was. 

“I’m Ben. Ben Solo.” He almost offered his hand for her grandfather to shake, then remembered that now was not the time for manners. 

“What’s that?” He was scornful, dubious. Ben remembered that Rey’s family didn’t give one another names. 

“I’m her fiancé. Soon to be the prince of this place.” He tried to match Rey’s air of complete confidence. “I’m here to watch her take your place, her place, and if you try to stop her you’ll have to go through me.” 

“This jabroni is weird-looking,” the man said, turning back to Rey. “Why are you lovers?” 

“I think he’s cute,” Rey snapped. “And if you lay a single antenna on him you will not live to regret it.” Ben had felt his face flush at ‘lovers’ and it got even hotter at ‘cute,’ but he reminded himself that this was a serious situation. 

“I’m not seeding the throne.” Ben frowned. Seeding? Then he remembered that the translator had trouble with homophones. He mentally corrected the old man’s grammar. 

“Then we will usurp you.” She stilled her wings and dropped to the ground. 

“I’d like to see you try.” 

“Okay.” She backed away. “Ben, move.” He obeyed. 

“Are you running away?” The old man was incredulous. “Are you that afraid to face me like an adult? Come here. Let’s do this like people of honor.” He smiled slimily as he beckoned for her to come back into range. He took one step forward, and Rey flew two meters back. “Little girl. Running away again.” 

“No,” Rey said, cocking her stick and slamming a handful of stardust on the trigger. BANG! She’d shot him true into his knee. He buckled and writhed, screaming in pain. 

“Foolish girl!” His hands clutched at his knee and his wings wrapped around him, secreting dark stardust and closing the wound. “What IS that?” 

“It’s an agun!” Rey said joyously, firing it once more straight into the air. Her grandfather shrieked in terror and huddled in a fetal position, shielding his face. “He made it!” She pointed at Ben, who couldn’t help but swell up a bit with pride. The vile man looked at him in horror. 

“How?” 

“A magician never reveals his secrets.” The last thing he wanted was to transform Rey’s placid people into war criminals. “But I can make more of them. And I think your subjects would be very interested in how they work. Unless, of course, you cede the throne to its rightful heir.” 

The man hissed and covered his eyes. “Fine. Foul jabroni!” 

Rey stepped forward and held the rifle to his throat. “Go. Go genuflect above my mother’s grave. Go into exile. Never bother me again. And apologize for calling him a jabroni.” She pressed the rifle closer with every item. 

“Alright, alright,” he said, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry I called you a jabroni.” 

“No hard feelings,” Ben said, unable to suppress his laughter this time as Rey released her grandfather and he sprinted away over a hill. Rey flashed him a glorious smile. He felt his whole body warming up. “I love you, Rey. And I’m so proud of you.” 

“I love you too. Thank you for everything. Especially the agun. I love the agun.” She caressed it and Ben giggled. 

“Who knew he’d be such a weenie?” 

“Right?” She fastened her weapon back onto her belt and took Ben’s hand. “I love Earth stuff.” 

There was a ponderous silence. A loaded pause. Then Ben said, “So, do we get married now?” 

“We do!” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Let’s go.” 

The ceremony was short and sunlit and lovely. It turned out that in Rey’s family they rubbed antennae instead of kissing at weddings, but Ben didn’t have any antennae, so they did butterfly kisses instead. They spent the rest of the day sprawled on the soft, sparkling grass, watching the sky change colors. 

Ben Solo lived out the rest of his life with Rey by his side, spending nine months of the earthen year on her home planet and three months on his. It was explained away seamlessly by higher education and high-pressure jobs. During the summers, Rey came home with him and stayed at his parents’ house. She was able to conceal her winks under an elegant cloak, and her antennae under a pretty headscarf. Ben reciprocated for the parts of the year they spent at her place; she had a beautiful set of pink gossamer wings and antennae made for him, so he wouldn’t ever feel plain or different. 

People of both worlds accepted each of them with kindness and love. They struck a constant balance between the new and the familiar, hand in hand, sun by sun. Their hearts were saturated with stardust. And they lived happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Special thanks to PunkForTheMoment for the Chapter 5 inspo. These two have captured my heart and brightened my nights. I loved writing this and am so so happy that I finished it. I can't wait to bring you all something new! 
> 
> Love, 
> 
> The Author


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